Book reviews

Description: This monograph describes recent work culminating in the contemporary approach to diagnosis of brain death. Purpose: A senior neuroscientist with 20 years of experience provides a detailed review of the contributions from leading figures in this field. Audience: Neurologists, neurosurgeons, intensivists, and transplanters are an appropriate audience for this work from the Institute of Neurology in Havana, Cuba. Features: The author first presents a clinical view of brain death and its relevance. He follows with a detailed discussion of radiologic and other modalities to make the diagnosis of brain death, along with difficult issues including the diagnosis of brain death in children and consciousness states bordering on brain death, including the locked-in syndrome and the minimally conscious state. The book provides a clear discussion from an international perspective on the social and religious furor arising over management of patients with varying levels of consciousness. Given the single authorship of this work, chapters have a consistent style which contributes to easy reading. Each chapter contains an extensive reference list with citations, typically of original work, dating to within one year of publication. Black-and-white line drawings are done well and a selection of good color plates is grouped together. Black-and-white photographs, however, reproduce with limited quality. The table of contents easily describes the book while a subject index of approximately 10 pages provides adequate access to content with separate citations for figures and tables. Assessment: This book smoothly sheds light on the biology and controversy surrounding an important clinical topic. For comparable detail, another contemporary author to be considered is Wijdicks_ Brain Death: A Clinical Guide (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001). This work is attractive for its historical scope coupled with clinical clarity.

Description: This monograph describes recent work culminating in the contemporary approach to diagnosis of brain death. Purpose: A senior neuroscientist with 20 years of experience provides a detailed review of the contributions from leading figures in this field. Audience: Neurologists, neurosurgeons, intensivists, and transplanters are an appropriate audience for this work from the Institute of Neurology in Havana, Cuba. Features: The author first presents a clinical view of brain death and its relevance. He follows with a detailed discussion of radiologic and other modalities to make the diagnosis of brain death, along with difficult issues including the diagnosis of brain death in children and consciousness states bordering on brain death, including the locked-in syndrome and the minimally conscious state. The book provides a clear discussion from an international perspective on the social and religious furor arising over management of patients with varying levels of consciousness. Given the single authorship of this work, chapters have a consistent style which contributes to easy reading. Each chapter contains an extensive reference list with citations, typically of original work, dating to within one year of publication. Black-and-white line drawings are done well and a selection of good color plates is grouped together. Black-and-white photographs, however, reproduce with limited quality. The

Reviewer's Expert Opinion:
Description: Histochemical methods provide powerful tools for analyzing the location and distribution of molecules in cells and tissues. These elegant methods are essential core protocols for laboratories involved in basic research and pathologic diagnosis. This handbook provides a compendium of theoretical and practical information on topics ranging from preparing tissues for microscopic evaluation to protocols for identifying intracellular enzymes and nucleic acids. The primary focus is on biochemistry, cell biology, and histology.
Purpose: According to the author, the purpose is to Bteach chemical, physical and biological principles of fixation, staining and histochemistry.[ He writes: BI urge the reader to determine the reason for every step in a methodI [because] adaptations and adjustments are often necessary.[ Audience: The book is written for histopathology laboratory personnel. It will also be appreciated by lecturers and students studying histochemical techniques, biomedical technology, and laboratory medicine. Scientists interested in cell and developmental biology will appreciate the wealth of practical information. The author assumes that readers have a foundation of knowledge in chemistry and biochemistry. Features: The 20 chapters are filled with interesting theoretical information and excellent practical tips. The book begins with a review of conventions and abbreviations. Each chapter includes a detailed table of contents and brief overview. Methods are presented in the sequence: staining solution, procedure, results, and notes. The author includes key references at the end of the book to document authorship for specific methods and as a guide for further scholarship. The tables, chemical formulas, and line drawings are clear and informative. An appendix provides recipes for buffer solutions and other essential data. The depth and breadth of topics covered in this handbook is impressive. Assessment: This book is concise yet comprehensive. The author carefully explains the theory and practice of histology from A-to-Z. It is an excellent practical guide and reference manual. The emphasis on new staining techniques (such as in situ hybridization) helps keep the field fresh and enhances the role of histology in the biomedical sciences. The text is well written and a pleasure to read. It will be a welcome resource for hospital staff in departments of laboratory medicine and pathology. It also provides a wealth of information for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and basic science researchers studying modern cell biology.

Reviewer's Expert Opinion:
Description: Studies on the genetic contributions to human behavior and disease have been invaluable in sorting out hereditary components, biological versus social constructs, and the interactions between genes and other factors. This book provides a guide to methodologies and technologies available to maximize research in this field. Purpose: Arising from the 2005 Workshops on Methodology for Twin and Family Studies, this book concatenates the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) in the areas of behavioral genetics and genetic epidemiology. Audience: The book is aimed at researchers and graduate students in the field of behavioral genetics and related fields, such as public health, psychology, sociology, biology, and medicine. It is written at a fairly advanced level that assumes familiarity with genetics, SEM, and associated computer programs. The editors are a young group of promising scholars backed by a notable level of senior faculty contributing to the chapters. Features: For readers new to this field, the book starts with an introduction to genetics and other concepts of importance, such as statistical power. Each chapter builds upon the last, so that novice readers would be well advised to read the book from beginning to end. More advanced readers will probably be able to skip ahead to chapters of specific interest. A short introduction to each chapter is enough to gauge whether further reading is of interest. Both linkage analysis and association models are covered in depth. There is a chapter specific to learning PLINK with sample Unix commands and binary files. For users of Haploview, there is a discussion of this program, screen shots, and specific tips for running linkage disequilibrium analysis and tagging. The two chapters on Power and Type I Error in linkage and association studies are a nice addition. Plenty of figures and tables supplement the text. The references are well researched and current, but the index is somewhat abbreviated for a book of this size. Assessment: This is a commendable account of statistical genetics, particularly in relation to linkage analysis and association models. While the subject matter is rather specific and presented at an intermediate to advanced level, students and researchers in this field will find it abundantly useful.

Reviewer's Expert Opinion:
Description: It should be illegal for any dermatologist to not own the 14th edition of this book. The only legitimate reason to not have this book in your possession is that you are dead. This is an amazing resource that covers all known dermatologic reactions to every prescription drug, herbal, and nutritional supplement. The author even includes reactions to eucalyptus and mistletoe! The skin eruptions associated with each medication are grouped according to the specific skin disease such as erythema multiforme or, say, alopecia. References for each skin problem are extensively listed. Reactions with only one case report are also included. The appendix lists skin eruptions and the associated drugs that have been known to cause a particular eruption. Even though the 13th edition was published last year, you must get the latest edition as it now covers all the skin eruptions associated with the new biologic agents. Purpose: The purpose is to provide dermatologists with the best comprehensive reference for evaluating whether the rash for which they have been consulted is due to the multitude of drugs that the patient is taking. The author brilliantly achieves this goal as he consistently has done in all the other 13 editions. Audience: The audience is dermatologists. Features: Although the amount of material seems impossible to organize and present, Dr. Litt succeeds in doing it. The drugs are listed alphabetically. The type of drug is listed and its indication and half-life, followed by the reaction patterns. If you do not know the chemical name for the drug, he has thoughtfully provided a cross index at the beginning of the book with the trade names so you can find the chemical name under which the drug is listed. This book makes our PDR fairly useless as far as finding potential skin eruptions associated with a medication. Assessment: If I could take only one dermatology book with me to an island, this is the one I would choose. C'est le meilleur, as my French friends would say. It is absolutely superb and worth every dollar!